CHIEF CHAT: Sharing the road

In the event that warmer weather ever arrives, we will anticipate local cyclists hitting the streets and bike trails in an effort to shed winter baggage and blues. We encourage motorists to use caution and share the road with cyclists as they travel around the community.

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By Rolla Police Chief Mark Kearse

The Rolla Daily News - Rolla, MO

By Rolla Police Chief Mark Kearse

Posted Apr. 21, 2013 at 11:00 AM

By Rolla Police Chief Mark Kearse

Posted Apr. 21, 2013 at 11:00 AM

In the event that warmer weather ever arrives, we will anticipate local cyclists hitting the streets and bike trails in an effort to shed winter baggage and blues. We encourage motorists to use caution and share the road with cyclists as they travel around the community.

Please remember by Missouri law, bicyclists are allowed to use the road. By law, bicyclists have the same rights and duties as other vehicle drivers. When passing cyclists, common sense and standard traffic law says that “drivers shall pass at a safe distance.” Squeezing past is simply unsafe and illegal!

Be sure to use special care around young cyclists and pedestrians. Young bicyclists are frequently unpredictable and present a special challenge for drivers. Approach such cyclists at a safe speed and leave extra distance between your vehicle and the cyclist for safety.

Young cyclists and pedestrians often emerge unexpectedly from behind parked cars or from driveways and side streets. They may be around a curve or over a hill, so please slow down and expect to see people cycling and walking.

On the other side of the coin, cyclists, remember safety depends on how you ride, not where. Be sure to cooperate with other drivers by following all the rules of the road. Stop and yield to cross traffic before entering a road from a driveway or sidewalk.

Be sure to stop for stop signs and red lights at intersections. Be predictable and visible! Ride with traffic and never against it. Use hand signals and communicate with other drivers. Check traffic before merging and wear a helmet!

The week of April 14–20, 2013, has been declared 911 National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week where we pay homage to the men and women in our Central Dispatch Division who like other telecommunicators across the country, every day, every hour, in communities large and small, dedicated public safety telecommunicators sit waiting to answer your calls.

They are professional men and women, trained to remain calm when everything seems to be falling apart. They gather information from callers, prioritize the requests and then dispatch the appropriate police, fire or medical personnel (or sometimes all three!) to assist.

This may sound simple enough, except that most of their callers are people in crisis; a crying parent, a petrified child, an apathetic neighbor or a belligerent abuser. Communicators must be on constant alert; every phone call is an opportunity to ride the emotional roller coaster, from parking complaints to an infant not breathing.

In 1992 U.S. Congress declared the second week of April as National Telecommunicator Week. This week affords us the opportunity to say “Thank you” to these hard working, dedicated, multi-talented public servants. Communicators are a vital link within our community and are essential to the mission of public safety, although rarely appreciated because they are not physically at the scene.

Page 2 of 2 - This week we would like to show our gratitude to these people who work behind the scenes to keep the citizens of our community safe. Here are the members of the Rolla Police Department Central Communications Division and how long they have served our community:

This next entry is from the desk of Animal Control Supervisor John Redshaw who writes: Kudos goes out to Detective Dillon and Officer Rizo for their quick response and assistance in what could have been a dangerous situation.

On 04/17/2013, Animal Control was dispatched to the 900 Block of East Seventh Street for a report of a postal employee that was corned by two aggressive canines. Officer Rizo and Detective Dillon quickly arrived on scene ahead of Animal Control and focused on protecting the victim. Upon arrival of Animal Control, everyone focused on corralling the dogs and attempts were made to capture them.

Fortunately, both of the dogs were safely corralled into the backyard of a residence where they actually lived. The owner was subsequently contacted and will diligently work on making sure this does not happen again. We greatly appreciate Officer Rizo’s and Detective Dillon’s assistance in helping to secure the animals and resolving the situation.

In closing, our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. We would also include the Boston Law Enforcement community in our prayers and hope for swift justice in the apprehension of all of those responsible for this tragic event.